About a year into my current career, I was concerned that I was being pushed into a role I didn’t want to be in. Although I already had a degree in Business, I decided to take courses outside of my job description such as graphic and software design.
This led me to move away from the projects I was originally working on into software. At the time, I did worry about job security and advancement, but the training I had put myself through paid off. With my new skills, I was able to help build a prototype for the company’s proprietary web-based application.
I became more enamored with business and product development, and wanted to learn more about creating companies. Five years ago, I launched a business of my own (Podgily) that is thriving, providing a web hosting and design solution that helps companies have a better web presence and grow their clients. None of this would have happened if I put myself in a box as the “Help Desk Support Engineer.”
The first thing I learned as a founder of a company was to manage sales, something I was terrible at it and wasn’t even good at hiring someone else to do it!
If I was going to have a positive cash flow business, then I needed to improve my sales skills. I came across a sales course which really helped me improve. Although I still wouldn’t hire myself to run the sales department, I now have the know-how when it comes to successfully closing deals.
I also am using my writing and speaking skills more, which is important to do if you plan to communicate with clients about your product or company. It may seem like I’ve managed to amass a lot of skills over the past 15 years. I don’t do things like filing my own taxes and you won’t catch me drafting up legal documents. I find people who are better at it than me and outsource that work. Often times, I partner with people who are experts at whatever project I’m involved in to get me to improve and refine my work, ultimately helping me stay relevant and ahead of the curve.
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